Earth's Greatest Magus

?A month had swiftly passed since the grand opening of Merlin's shop, and the group gathered for their monthly review. Emery, amidst his busy concocting schedule, had dedicated time to delve into the intricacies of running a shop, gaining valuable insights into its development.

Over the course of the month, the shop had successfully sold over 500 units of the [180 Celestial Meridian Pills] and an impressive tally of more than 3000 [Celestial Booster Pills]. The total sales eclipsed 1 billion spirit stones, setting a new standard in Golden City for the sales performance of a new shop. However, amidst the prosperity, financial allocations loomed.

Emery faced a series of expenditures, allocating 25% to taxes, 36% to production costs, and 4% to other operational expenses. After these deductions, the profits amounted to close to 350 million spirit stones. True to his promise, Emery distributed a generous sum of 100 million spirit stones among Karin, Cedric, Aeon, and the other dedicated staff members as their well-deserved share. Although Emery extended a lump sum to Tessa as well, the Karat heiress sternly declined.

As the monthly review unfolded, Emery contemplated how to allocate the funds. Initially thinking of spending 300 million for his personal needs, Tessa, with her business acumen, provided valuable advice. She recommended setting aside 50 to 100 million as operating and emergency funds, ensuring the shop's smooth operation and providing a financial cushion for unforeseen circumstances.

During the review, the group noticed a downturn in demand for the [180 Celestial Meridian Pills]. It appeared that the initial elite clientele of Golden City had mostly acquired the pill, an expected outcome for such a product.

Tessa proposed two solutions during the monthly review. She suggested, "You can either decrease the price to sell the pill toward the second layer market, or you could increase promotion outside of Golden City."

Emery carefully considered both options, but leaning towards the latter for exclusivity and maximize profits. However, Tessa, with her practical mindset, preferred the first option for a particular reason.

"I can guarantee that, soon enough, an imitation product would be created using your pill as the base model. It most likely wouldn't be as good as the original, but the market would absorb a lesser product if it comes with a much more affordable price," Tessa explained, emphasizing her concerns.

Regrettably, Emery faced a constraint: he lacked the capacity to increase production. The reality was that creating even a dozen pills daily pushed the limits of his capabilities, making the production of 500 pills in a challenging month a remarkable feat. Most importantly, Emery couldn't solely dedicate all his time to pill production. His cultivation required attention, and reaching a breakthrough in his current realm demanded focus.

"It can't be helped; the only way we can boost sales in this product is to find someone else who was able to recreate this," Emery acknowledged, voicing a pragmatic approach. The words prompted a deep sigh from Karin, who expressed her determination, saying, "I will try harder, Brother."

Despite being a genius master herself, Karin had yet to successfully imitate Emery's product. Her attempts to tweak the recipes had only yielded a product with less than 50% of its original potency – a lesser version that couldn't compete with the existing market offerings.

Emery conceded, acknowledging the limitations of their situation, and said "We can only sell this pill in limited supply, so we can expect less income from this.

Fortunately, the demand for Emery's second product, the [Celestial Booster Pills], experienced a notable uptick. This consumable pill, crafted for repeated use, promised a continuous surge in demand with an expanding customer base.

"Soon enough, this product would generate more income than the first one. I suggest hiring more apothecary staff to increase its production," Tessa proposed, and Emery readily agreed.

With the decision made to bolster production, the next critical point of discussion was the need to discover more star items. Diversifying their product range and expanding production capacity were vital to meeting the rising demand.

Emery unveiled two other specialty products in his arsenal: the [Reviving Pill - Tier 2, Originality Level 4] and the [Cthulhu Bomb - Tier 6, Originality Level 2]. Unfortunately, both items remained exclusive to him due to their intricate nature and would result in a situation similar to the current [180 Celestial Meridians Pill].

Given this circumstance, Emery resolved to allocate some of his time to develop the second recipe he obtained from the ruins – the [Celestial Spirit Enhancement Potions], a product specifically designed to improve mental defense.

The next matter of discussion revolved around Emery's pursuit of becoming an honorary master. The expenditure of 250 million spirit stones for tax left him contemplating the missed opportunity to save an additional 50 million spirit stones had he secured the title. The pressing reality, however, was Emery's severe lack of time to embark on such pursuits.

Tessa, attuned to the challenges, claimed that absorbing Terra City into the Earth faction posed more difficulties than anticipated. She firmly believed that without a solid standing, Emery might encounter trouble in the near future. "Trust me, that honorary title will really help," she reassured.

Now armed with a few hundreds million spirit stones, Emery contemplated the idea of reducing his time in apothecary production and instead delving into the special jobs offered by the institutes.

Fueled by determination, Emery concluded the meeting and made his way back to the apothecary center. Inquiring about the honorary title, he diligently filled out the necessary documents and soon found himself gaining an audience with the one in charge—an unfamiliar grandmaster named Saagar. The man, characterized by his pale and slender physique, assessed Emery's situation.

"Your master title is only one month old; it's normally unprecedented to let you apply. However, Hazard speaks highly of you, so I am going to give you a chance,"

Delving into Emery's records, Grandmaster Saagar found the apothecary data, revealing impressive monthly sales

[Merlin - total month sales; 1, 092 billions - rank 7]

Emery was taken aback by the revelation that even a billion in monthly sales only secured him a rank 7 standing. However, this realization also sparked a sense of excitement, knowing that there were even more productive apothecarists in the bustling Golden City.

To Emery's delight, Grandmaster Saagar approved his request for the honorary title, opening the door for him to undertake special jobs from the list. As he contemplated the array of opportunities before him, Emery couldn't help but wonder "Which job should I take?"The prospect of diving into these unique assignments filled him with anticipation.